Apparatus for cleaning or treating articles

ABSTRACT

A washing machine apparatus for cleaning small industrial parts comprising a housing, containing a pump and a supply of fluid, a tumbler, driving means and a spray system within said tumbler, a feed chute to feed parts into said tumbler and a discharge chute to expel clean parts from said tumbler.

United States Patent Fred B. Apel 24051 Seneca, Oak Park, Mich. 48237752,844

Aug. 15, 1968 Jan. 5, I971 Inventor App]. No. Filed Patented APPARATUSFOR CLEANING OR TREATING ARTICLES 1 Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

us. (I 134/65,

134/153 1mm B08b 3/02 ma Search 134/65,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Re23887 10/1954 Balluteen134/ 1 32X 2,427,388 9/1947 Curran 134/132 2,909,872 10/1959 Kearney etal. 134/132 3,144,032 8/1964 Murayama 134/1 53X Primary Examiner-RobertL. Bleutge Attorney-Hauke, Gifford and Patalidis ABSTRACT: A washingmachine apparatus for cleaning small industrial parts comprising ahousing, containing a pump and a supply of fluid, a tumbler, drivingmeans and a spray system within said tumbler, a feed chute to feed partsinto said tumbler and a discharge chute to expel clean parts from saidtumbler.

PATEtNTED- m 5mm 3552.405

sum 1 OF 3 INVENTOR FRED 8. APEL GYM 7 %W /2244 ATTORNEYS .PATENTEU JAN512m SHEET 2 OF 3 INVENTOR FRED B. APEL FIG.5

ATTORNEYS l.-Field'of the Invention The present invention refers ingeneral to cleaning or treating apparatus and in particular to washingor treating f machines for relatively'small industrial parts, such asscrews, nuts,bolts,etc. 1

Most of these industrial parts, such asbolts', screws, et'c.,

need to be cleaned after manufactureito' remove dirt, oil,

greases, metal chips. and the 'like. from them before being furthervprccessedxThis is conventionally done in industrial washing or cleaningapparatuses designed for this purpose and these apparatuses may bemanually operated or power driven. Usually the parts'are washed inacleaning solution by immersion or spraying or both; the cleaningsolution being'of a type best suited .to removeacertain type of sludgeor othercontarnination from the parts.

r The-present invention IS concerned-with-a power driven ap- ---paratusof thiskindandconveniently. the apparatus may also be used for treatingindustrial-parts by substitution of the as, for instance, rustpropertreating fluid for such processes proofing or other coatings.

2. Description'of the Prior Art I Treating machines or apparatuses oftheprior art are usually large-and bulkyin relation to the partsto becleaned 'and their construction"andfoperation is unnecessarilycomplicated for the intended. purposelusuallythese apparatuses employ arotatingdrum-container or tumbler to receivethe parts and the inside ofthe tumbler may be providedwith transporting means, such as a helix orthe like to feed the parts continuously from one'end of the tumbler tothe other. Normally a cleaning .fluid is suppliedto the parts as theytravel through the tumbler by-rnans of direct immersion of the tumblerwithin the fluid or by spraying the parts with the fluid. in

- conventional' po'wer driven apparatuses in the prior artthe means torotate the tumbler and ,agitate'the cleaning fluid for cleaning actionare separated from eachother/and the cleaning' fluid is usually drainedoff into the plant drainage system after usage. This complicates theinstallation in regards to the space needed'an'd the locationrequirement for drainage of the I cleaning fluid. lnsaddition theseconventional installations are usually wet due to splashing of thecleaning fluid.

' Furthermore; conventional clean ngapparatuses of this type cannot. be.usedfor coating article's dueto the uncontrolled splashingandother lossof fluids SUMMAItY' or THE int/surrou- The present invention provides-anovel universal-type washing or treating apparatus for relatively smallindustrial parts embodying certain features adapted to eliminate theprimary disadvantages of the prior art. To this end the invention iscomprised of a tumbler having an internal helical surface in I order toreceive parts for cleaning fed into one end of the tum-- supply of theunit where it is filtered for reuse, the sludge removed from the partssettling at the bottom of the unit. Provisions are made that at certainintervals the collected sludge may be removed from the unit by quicklydraining the fluid supply with the help of its own pump.

Instead of cleaning fluid, coating fluid may be used in the unit for thepurpose of coating the parts instead of cleaning.

Accordingly, the primary object of the present invention is theprovision of a novel unitary washing or treating apparatus forindustrial parts which is entirely self-contained within anormally-closed housing having'a shielded part-feeding chute and a cleanparts discharge chute.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of anovel tumbler and spray pipe combination by which the parts to becleaned are constantly tumbled and fed along the interior of the tumblerand subjected to high powered jets of cleaning fluid from the spray pipeassociated with the tumbler. r

A further object of the present invention is to provide in a washingapparatus for industrial parts a boxlike housing, a fluid supply sumpwithin the housinganda filter and pump atrangement within the housing tocontinuously filter and circulate the fluid for washing parts fed intothe housing.

.Other obvious advantages and novel features will become apparent fromthe following detailed description in connection with the accompanyingdrawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TI-IE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective overall viewof the present novel ap- I mechanism embodied in the apparatus FIG. 1;

' FIG.'5 is apartial perspective yiew of the mechanism in FIG. 4;

. FIG. 6 is a perspective detailed view of the tumbler used in theapparatus in FIG. 1;

bier and advanced to the-opposite end bythe helical surface when thetumbler is being rotated. A pipe extendslengthwise into the tumblerto'convey cleaningfluid. The pipe is. con

nected to a pump for connection .with the supply of fluid. The.

tumbler is rotated by a motorized drive means. The primary featureprovides for enclosing all of these components within a singlenormally-closed housing to protect them from splashing. The componentsare'all arranged 'such'as to fit within the smallest possible spacemaking it a self-contained unit which can be placed atany-convenientlocation'in the plant since it is notdependent on drainage and fluidsupply requirements. An ample amount of cleaning fluid contained'in thebottom of the unit is filtered and circulated by the pump for continuoususe.

' The drive motors forthe pump and the tumbler are likewise locatedwithin the unit but wellv above the fluid supply level and protectedagainst splashing. The" pipe extending within the tumbler is providedwith a numberof spaced nozzle openings to eject fluid at a high pressureand velocity onto the parts to be cleaned. Theejected fluid is drainedback'into the fluid FIG. 7 is a perspective view of apparatus in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a detailed perspective illustration of the pump, pump driveand filter arrangement embodied in the apparatus in FIG. l;and

7 FIG. 9'is an enlarged cross section through the spray pipe and nozzlearrangement embodied in the present invention.

a further embodiment of the 1 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTWith reference to FIG. 1 there is illustrated a novel washing apparatuscomprising an enclosure 10 in' the general form of a rectangular boxmade up of longitudinal sidewalls 12 and 14 and front and rear walls 16and 18 respectively closed off by a bottom 20 and top 22 so as to form asubstantially-closed boxtype structure. The lower portion24 of the boxstructure has openings 26 and 28 in both its front wall and rear wallnormally closed by removable covers 30 for servicing of the unit as willbe explained hereafter.

The frontwall 16 of the upper portion 32 has an opening 34 for receivinga feeding chute 36 attached thereto. Likewise, the sidewall 12 in thelower portion 24 has an opening 38 for receiving a discharge chute 40.Obviously, the discharge chute 40 may be placed in the opposite sidewall14.

With further reference to FIG. 2, the upper portion 32 of the boxlikestructure 10 receives a drum type tumbler 42 positioned in longitudinaldirection of the enclosure and substantially in axial alignment withthe'feed chute opening 34. As seen in FIG. 6 the tumbler 42 ispreferably a screen-type drum having a front opening 44 and rear opening46. Retained within the tumbler and extending from end to end thereof isa helical guide surface 48 in the form of a ribbon with its edgeattached as by brazing or otherwise to the internal screen surfaces ofthe tumbler. Positioned between adjacent helices are longitudinaldeflectors 50 for a purpose to be explained. Attached to the outside ofthe tumbler and spaced some distance from the opening 44, 46 thereof,are a pair of radial rings 52 and 54 which may be press fitted to thetumbler or attached thereto by brazing or the like. These rings 52, 54have outer bearing surfaces for support and rotation upon opposed pairsof rollers 56, 58. Either the bearing surfaces or the rollers may behardened but this is not a necessary requirement. The rollers areattached for rotation on pins 60 supported within brackets 62 attachedin upstanding fashion so as to freely support the rollers. The brackets62 are attached to transverse support beams 64 secured within theenclosure 10 just underneath the tumbler 42.

The tumbler 42 is rotated by the provision of a sprocket wheel 66secured to the outside of the tumbler at one end thereof. The sprocketwheel 66 is adapted to receive a drive chain 68 which is drivinglyconnected to a drive motor 70 by means of a smaller sprocket wheel 72.The electric tumbler drive motor 70 is secured and supported upon atransverse support beam 74 attached within the lower portion 24 of theenclosure I a distance spaced from the bottom wall 20 for a purpose tobecome clear.

A pipe 76 extends lengthwise into the tumbler 42 from the end oppositethe feeding chute 36 and is located close to the upper inner surface ofthe tumbler. The end 78 of the pipe 76 is attached to a flange 80adjacent the upper edge of the chute opening 34. Located a distance fromthe end 78 of the pipe 76 are a number of fluid discharge openings 82 inthe form ofjet nozzles as seen in FIG. 9. The nozzle distance D asindicated in FIG. 2 constitutes the effective spray area as will beexplained. The other end of the pipe 76 has a T-connector 84 whose endwhich is coaxial with pipe 76 receives another pipe section 86. Thebranch 88 of the T-connector 84 will be normally closed by a plug 90which can be removed for a purpose to be described later on. The pipesection 86 extends downwardly towards the bottom 20 of the enclosure tocommunicate with the outlet of a pump 92 which is secured to the bottom20 of the enclosure by means of clamps 94. The pump 92 which ispreferably an impeller-type pump is driven by an electric motor 96positioned vertically above the pump on the end of a tubular support 98through which the drive shaft 100 of the motor extends, as seen in FIG.5. The tubular pump-motor support 98 is stabilized in vertical positionby means of a U- clamp 102 bolted to the transverse drive motor supportbeam 74 by nuts 104.

The inlet 106 of the pump 92 is provided with a fluid filter 108 and thebottom of the lower portion 24 is filled with a suitable cleaning fluid110 up to a level L a small distance below the lower edge of the opposedservice openings 26, 28. It will be noted that the pump motor 96 anddrive motor 70 by means of their supporting structures are well abovethe level L of the fluid and thus their operation will not be affectedby contact with the fluid I10. Likewise, the effective spray area Dindicated in FIG. 2 is well in advance of the electric motors 70, 96which are thus protected from any splashing effect upon operation of theapparatus.

Both the electric motors 70 and 96 have electrical connections (notshown) with a control panel 112 secured to the side 12 of the enclosure.The control panel has the usual "stop and go switches or buttons 112 tostop or start the machine and a pilot light 116 may be provided toindicate that the machine is in operation and within the control paneloverload circuit breakers may be provided as is common practice toprotect the motors against overloading. Once the machine is started, theoperation is completely automatic except for feeding the feed chute withparts to be cleaned.

In operation, the operator starts the machine by manipulating the go"switch to connect the tumbler motor 70 and pump motor 96 to the electriccurrent. It then feeds the parts P onto the chute 36 from which they aredrawn into the enclosure and thus into the tumbler 42 by gravity. The.rotating tumbler carries the parts around with it and along its innersurface by means of the helical guide 48. When the parts reach the areaD indicated in FIG. 2 they are sprayed by high velocity jets of cleaningfluid expelledfrom the nozzles 82 in the pipe 76. The velocity andrelatively highpressurehof the spray thoroughly rinses the partsof-all-contarninants such'asshop dirt, metal chips, etc. Due to thetumbling action the parts will be cleaned around all their surfaces,. irit;ludjng any internal surfaces such as found in nuts and blind holesThe-cleaned parts leaving the spray area D are further conveyed alongthe interior of the tumbler by the helices 48 to the discharge chute 40from which they are expelled through opening 38. During this action thecleaning fluid 110 is constantly recirculated from and back into thesump by the pump 92. The filter 108 assures that only pure cleaningfluidi will be used to exit from the nozzles 82 whereas the contaminantsare caused to settle on the bottom 20 ofthe enclosure 10 i Periodicallyit will be necessary to clean out the fluid sump to remove the collectedcontaminants. To accomplish this, the fluid 110 must be drained from theenclosure 10. With reference to FIG. 8, the plug 9f the T-connector 84is removed and a drain hose 112 is screwed into the branch connection 88thereof. Thereafter,-operating the pump 92 will drain the enclosure 10of all fluid through the drain hose 112 into a suitable container forreuse. After draining of the fluid 110 from the enclosurethe covers 30may be removed to clean out the bottom 20. The drained fluid 110 maythen be pumped back into the enclosure for reuse together with anadditional amount of fluid to compensate forany fluid loss to bring thelevel back to the original height.

FIG. 7 illustrates the use of a composite discharge chute I14 which maybe used in place of the simple drop chute 40 to convey the parts P intoa container 1I6 which may be located at a remote location from themachine 10.

In conclusion, the present invention provides a highly efficient,multipurpose, industrial parts washing apparatus. In an exemplaryembodiment the apparatus may operate at a capacity of 120 cubic feet perhour in a 60-second cycle; that is, parts fed into the apparatus willtravel through the apparatus in one minute. The high velocity spray jetsmay dispense the cleaning fluid at, for instance, 30 gallons per minute.The electric current to operate the machine can be conventional l 10volt AC shop current so that no additional electrical installations arenecessary.

The parts will be thoroughly cleaned including all internal surfaces.

If desired, the cleaning fluid may be replaced by a coating or othersolution for treatment of the parts other than cleaning.

The present invention may be embodied in other certain forms withoutdeparting from the spirit and inventive characteristic thereof,therefore, the present embodiment is to be considered in all respects asillustrative only and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription.

I'claim:

1. An apparatus for washing articles comprising:

a housing having a lower portion and a cover portion carried by saidlower portion and enclosing said housing;

a horizontally disposed tumbler rotatably carried in said cover portion,said tumbler comprising an open drum formed of a continuous screen toallow fluid supplied thereto to drain from said drum, said drum havingan internal surface provided with a helical guide means for displacingsaid articles from one end of said drum to an opposite end of said drumas said drum rotates;

a liquid sump in said lower portion;

drive means for rotating said drum; 2

a pump for said liquid having an outlet, pipe/extending within saiddrum, said outlet pipe being positioned close to the upper inner surfaceof said drum and having nozzle openings for forcibly directing said.liquid downwardly into the interior ofsaid drum; r;

said housing having inlet means carried by said cover portion andassociated with said one'drumend and outlet means carried by said lowerportion and associated with said opposite drum end respectively for thetransmission of said articles to and from said drum; and said nonleopenings being positioned in said drurn proximate said one drum end forfluidly treating said articles as said articles are displaced from saidinlet means to said outlet means.

2. The apparatus as det'inedin claim 1 wherein said inlet means is aninlet chute carried by said cover portion andextending through saidcover portion externally of said housing, and said outlet means is anoutlet chute disposed in said lower portion and extending internally ofsaid housing, said inlet chute being axially aligned with said tumblerand said outlet chute being generally at right angles thereto.

3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said drive means for saiddrum and said drive means for said pump are electric motors disposed insaid lower portion above the level of said liquid sump at a positionproximate said opposite end 7 of said drum.

4. The apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said pump is disposed onthe bottom of said lower portion within said liquid sump, and includingan upwardly extending support member upon which said electric motors aredisposed above the level of said liquid sump.

5. The apparatus as defined in claim 4 wherein said horizontallydisposed drum is adapted to rotate about a horizontal axis, said drivemeans for rotating said drum. comprising a chain and sprocket drivemechanism drivingly connected to one of said electric motors.

6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein said cover portion isreleasably attached to saidlower portion.

7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 including a releasablyattachedside portion carried by said lower portion to permit access tothe interior of said lower portion.

1. An apparatus for washing articles comprising: a housing having alower portion and a cover portion carried by said lower portion andenclosing said housing; a horizontally disposed tumbler rotatablycarried in said cover portion, said tumbler comprising an open drumformed of a continuous screen to allow fluid supplied thereto to drainfrom said drum, said drum having an internal surface provided with ahelical guide means for displacing said articles from one end of saiddrum to an opposite end of said drum as said drum rotates; a liquid sumpin said lower portion; drive means for rotating said drum; a pump forsaid liquid having an outlet pipe extending within said drum, saidoutlet pipe being positioned close to the upper inner surface of saiddrum and having nozzle openings for forcibly directing said liquiddownwardly into the interior of said drum; said housing having inletmeans carried by said cover portion and associated with said one drumend and outlet means carried by said lower portion and associated withsaid opposite drum end respectively for the transmission of saidarticles to and from said drum; and said nozzle openings beingpositioned in said drum proximate said one drum end for fluidly treatingsaid articles as said articles are displaced from said inlet means tosaid outlet means.
 2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein saidinlet means is an inlet chute carried by said cover portion andextending through said cover portion externally of said housing, andsaid outlet means is an outlet chute disposed in said lower portion andextending internally of said housing, said inlet chute being axiallyaligned with said tumbler and said outlet chute being generally at rightangles thereto.
 3. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein saiddrive means for said drum and said drive means for said pump areelectric motors disposed in said lower portion above the level of saidliquid sump at a position proximate said opposite end of said drum. 4.The apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein said pump is disposed on thebottom of said lower portion within said liquid sump, and including anupwardly extending support member upon which said electric motors aredisposed above the level of said liquid sump.
 5. The apparatus asdefined in claim 4 wherein said horizontally disposed drum is adapted torotate about a horizontal axis, said drive means for rotating said drumcomprising a chain and sprocket drive mechanism drivingly connected toone of said electric motors.
 6. The apparatus as defined in claim 1wherein said cover portion is releasably attached to said lower portion.7. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 including a releasably attachedside portion carried by said lower portion to permit access to theinterior of said lower portion.